


A Small Chat

by MaurLin



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23241766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaurLin/pseuds/MaurLin
Summary: Ladybug's Kitty gets hit by an akuma and goes missing right before a storm, but she is saved from a similar fate by a small white cat.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 28
Kudos: 105





	1. Hero

**Author's Note:**

> Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.

“Lucky Charm!”

A metal wind chime dropped into Ladybug’s outstretched hand. As usual , she looked around to see how it could be of use, while Cat Noir kept the akumatized man busy.

This particular akuma was unusual, in that no one seemed to know what it was he actually did. He called himself Bestiary, and he looked like- well, like something different to everyone. Cat Noir had asked Ladybug at the start of this how they were going to fight a man that looked like a horse; what Ladybug saw was a half-man, half-bear. The only thing everyone agreed on was that he was part-animal.

It was an illusion, Ladybug was sure. At least, pretty sure. It only made sense, if he looked different to everyone. And yet…he did  something to people; there had been several disappearances. Mr. Romier had vanished in the middle of a cloud of his beloved pigeons after being hit with a bolt from Bestiary’s staff, a professional dogwalker had been hit while out walking her pups, and the zookeeper had disappeared during feeding time in the monkey cage. Others were gone too, and just as mysteriously.

It was late afternoon, but the heavy clouds threatened a storm at any moment. Ladybug hoped they could wrap this up before the predicted deluge began.

The wind chime wasn’t for her to use, she saw in a flash of insight. It was for Cat Noir- as a distraction. She called to him to get his attention-

Too late. Cat Noir missed a step, and Bestiary hit him across the street and into an alley. The villain followed his blow instantly with a bolt from his staff; Ladybug hoped that Cat Noir had been able to dodge the blast. She ran to the alley to find her partner, swinging her yoyo to block another bolt.

“Cat Noir! Are you okay?” she called. But there was no answer- there was no one in the alley.

Ladybug ducked as she sensed Bestiary coming up behind her. The lucky charm was useless now; she had needed Cat Noir to distract Bestiary while she tried to get hold of the staff with her yoyo. Now, all she could do was stay out of his way, and hope she got an opening before her miraculous gave out.

The alley was too narrow to maneuver in, though. Bestiary soon had Ladybug pinned down against a wall and between several trash cans. He growled a laugh, holding up his staff to shoot a bolt.

A small white blur shot out from between two cans and leaped for Bestiary’s face, moving too fast for Ladybug to get a clear look at it in the dim light. Bestiary howled, his face gashed and bleeding above his eyes; he grabbed whatever the thing was and threw it into the wall before breaking away and running.

Just then, the skies opened up, and the rain poured down in sheets too thick to see through. Ladybug was instantly drenched.

From what she could hear over the thunder, the villain was still running away. Ladybug took a deep breath, inhaling a little water by accident.  _ I need to find Cat Noir- no use looking for the akuma in this storm,  _ she thought.  _ No one will be out without a good reason until it’s over. _

“Cat Noir?” she called again, hoping he could hear her.

“He’s not here,” came a voice on the right.

Ladybug turned to the voice, and was astonished to see Plagg, Cat Noir’s kwami, hovering over- was that Cat Noir’s ring? What was his miraculous doing by itself in the alley?

Getting washed down the gutter. Ladybug made a grab for the ring before it could drift too far and end up in the sewer. “Plagg? Where’s Cat Noir?” She tried to control her racing heart- her partner had completely vanished.

“I don’t know- my owner must have lost his miraculous right before he disappeared. He was gone by the time I came out of the ring.” Plagg may have been trying to seem unconcerned, but Ladybug could tell he was worried, too.

Ladybug took a couple more steadying breaths, trying not to breathe in any more rain- and not succeeding very well. “Okay. There’s not much else we can do until the rain lets up. Plagg, you can come with me until the storm is over, then I’ll take you to Master Fu. Maybe he’ll have more luck finding Cat Noir.” She didn’t want to give up, but there was nothing she could do for him now. She got up to leave the alley.

A low “mrrrooowww” sounded to her left. Looking between the trash cans, she saw an animal of some kind. It was too wet to tell what it was for sure, but it sounded like a cat. White fur was plastered to its skin, and it moved slowly, as if in pain. It got to its feet, holding one of its front paws off the ground.

Ladybug felt a mix of pity and gratitude. This must have been the creature that drove off Bestiary and saved her from whatever had happened to Cat Noir. The least she could do was to see it dry and warm somewhere.

She knelt in the alley in front of the trash cans. “Can I help, little kitty?” she called softly. The soaked animal looked up to her face, green eyes wary as it huddled against the wall. She held her hands out to it, trying to coax it out. “I won’t hurt you. Let’s go somewhere safe and dry, okay? Maybe get your paw looked at?”  _ Really _ , she thought, _ it’s not like it’s going to understand you _ .

It must have understood her tone, though. Slowly, it uncurled from the wall, and sniffed her outstretched fingers. She reached out to pick it up; it tensed, then relaxed in her arms.

A warning beep from her earrings told her she had moments before transforming back. Hastily she made her way out of the alley and under an overhang out of sight.

After transforming back into Marinette, she opened her purse. Marinette placed Cat Noir’s ring in the purse’s inner pocket, handed Tikki a macaron, and got out the tiny folding umbrella she’d put there when she heard the day’s forecast. Not an easy set of tasks, with one hand burdened with a wet lump of white fur.

“No cheese for me?” Plagg half-whined.

“If I’d been expecting you, I’d have packed some. You’ll have to wait until I get home,” Marinette told him absently. Green eyes regarded her from both sides. She got out her phone, and looked up the address of the closest veterinary clinic.  _ Good, they have evening hours _ . “You and Tikki hide while I take care of our little hero, here.”

Plagg and Tikki dived into the purse; Marinette shut the purse and opened the umbrella awkwardly. The vet clinic was only a couple of blocks away. She held the shivering animal to her chest and made her way in the rain.

The first thing the lady vet on duty did was hand Marinette a pair of towels. “My assistant’s not in tonight. Rub against the grain of the fur, it’ll get his blood circulating and warm him up.”

“Him?” Marinette asked as she began to obey.

“You didn’t look when you picked him up?” The vet grabbed the animal gently but firmly near the tail, lifting him a little, and looked underneath. The green eyes at the front of the creature looked startled, then affronted at this rude treatment. “Yep. One genuine tomcat. About a year old, so still young. We’ll check out that paw and do a general health assessment before you take him home.”

“Uhh- I hadn’t intended to take him home. I just thought he deserved to be looked at, after attacking that mugger.” Marinette thought a version of the truth was appropriate.

“Well, we can’t keep him here, and he will need to be watched until his paw is healed. You can decide whether or not to keep him after that.” The vet seemed fairly unconcerned- or rather, she seemed convinced that Marinette would decide to keep the cat.

Now that he was dry, Marinette had to admit that he was a handsome specimen of the feline kind. He wasn’t white all over; he had a black patch on his chest and orange hind feet. The rest of him, though, was completely white. His ears twitched back and forth as he kept his eyes on Marinette.

The vet told Marinette to hang onto the cat. “I need to take his temperature and get a stool sample to check for worms. He isn’t going to appreciate this.”

He didn’t. A loud “MAA- _ ROOWW!” _ echoed in the small exam room, as the cat tried to make a break for it. Marinette hung on, trying not to hurt him more than his paw was already. He gave Marinette the sort of look cats do when they feel betrayed.

“I know, I’m sorry, she’s just trying to help,” Marinette told the cat in a low voice. He didn’t look convinced, but he did relax a little.

The vet took her samples and left. Marinette petted the cat, which seemed to place him in a mild trance. His purr was loud enough in the small room to compete with a motorcycle in full throttle.

“Are you going to give him a name?” Tikki asked from inside the purse. Marinette opened the catch to look at her kwami.

“What’s the point, if I don’t keep him? Besides, when has a cat ever come when it’s called?” Marinette told Tikki. She glanced at Plagg; looking at him reminded her of her own missing kitty. She stopped petting the cat and brushed at her eyes. “I wish I knew where Cat Noir was.”

The cat stood up on the metal exam table and nudged Marinette’s hand. Sighing, she started to pet the cat again. He didn’t trance out this time, but kept his eyes fixed on Marinette’s face as he purred.

“Even if you don’t keep him, you should name him,” Tikki chirped.

Plagg agreed, “Yeah, ‘hey you’ doesn’t work for a cat.”

Marinette considered. “Well, I won’t call him ‘kitty’; I already have one of those.” Her breath caught, and she tried to shake the dark worry from her mind. She looked deep into the emerald- green eyes of the cat, trying to divine the right name. “Hero.” Yes, that worked. The cat seemed to approve as well; he blinked and half-closed his eyes. “Your name is Hero.”

The vet came back in then; Marinette surreptitiously snapped her purse shut. “Well, he’s a lot healthier than I’d expect from living on the streets- no worms, no bugs, not even ear mites. His paw is only sprained; I’ll give you a few days’ worth of anti-inflammatories so he’ll be comfortable, and we’ll give him his first set of kitten shots.” The vet showed Marinette how to give Hero his pills, holding his mouth open and shoving it in as far as possible to make him swallow it, then gave Hero a shot in the loose skin of his shoulders. “And whether you keep him or not, you should consider having him neutered.”

Hero’s eyes, which had been half-slitted in resignation, suddenly popped open. He lunged to his feet, seeming to forget his sore paw, and launched himself into Marinette’s arms. He scrambled up to perch on her shoulders, bristling and hissing at the vet, who was unimpressed. “Neutering should keep him from scent-marking his territory, which can ruin furniture and smells terrible. On the other hand, tricolored males are quite rare; you may want to keep him as a stud.”

Hero growled on Marinette’s shoulder as he glared at the vet; it almost sounded like he was talking. “mrrronononono..”

“Uhhmm- w-we can discuss that later,” Marinette stammered, uncomfortable with the turn of this discussion. 

“All right; he’s done for the night. We’ll see him next week about that paw if he’s not using it by then.” The vet showed Marinette out into the waiting room, and gave her a bag of supplies that included canned cat food for a week, kitty litter with a plastic tray, and a list of instructions. She added the bag of medication, and a cardboard carrying box for Hero. “Make sure he has a warm place to sleep tonight; cats need to be warmer than people think,” was her parting advice.

Marinette nodded, putting Hero in his box and closing the lid. “Let’s go; I’ll take you home.” The rain was pouring down just as hard as ever; Marinette opened her umbrella at the door, picked up her bags and her box full of cat by the handles, and headed home.


	2. At Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette takes Hero home and takes care of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.

Marinette’s parents weren’t entirely sure about this new addition to the household, but accepted Hero when they heard the (heavily edited) story of his actions. “Keep him in your room for now, sweetheart,” said Tom. Marinette agreed and headed up the stairs.

Reading the instructions, she set up the kitty litter in a secluded corner that she cordoned off with a tiny privacy curtain next to her shelves. She then got a small plate and chipped bowl from the kitchen (grabbing Plagg a chunk of brie in the process), put water in the bowl, and set both up in another protected corner. After giving Plagg his cheese and putting half a can of cat food on the plate, she let Hero loose.

Hero came out of the box a little reluctantly, hobbling a bit on his sore paw. He headed for the litterbox first thing, then slowly made his way around the room, exploring. He seemed to know he was a guest here, and behaved as if he expected to be kicked out at the first wrong move.

The cat food, he sniffed at first, then ate it with no real enthusiasm. While Hero ate, Marinette found a box she could turn into a cat bed. She turned the box on its side and lined it with a flat pillow and an old fluffy blanket, turning the box into a tiny cave.

“What do you think?” she asked the cat. Not that she expected an answer.

Hero padded over, favoring his sore paw. He sniffed the inside of the box over, then yawned and curled up on the pillow. Plagg flew over, and settled next to Hero, who regarded the kwami with a jaundiced eye before closing his eyes and falling asleep. Marinette gave Hero a final pet before yawning herself, changing into her pajamas, and climbing into her loft bed.

Once there, she found she couldn’t fall asleep. She tossed and turned, worried about Cat Noir, and the akuma, and school problems, and- her mind just wouldn’t shut off. The rain beating down on the trap door wasn’t helping, and now the thunder in the clouds was getting louder. Marinette thought of Cat Noir, vanished, maybe lost in the storm, and a tear leaked down her cheek. Then a second; that opened the floodgates, and she began to cry quietly. She couldn’t help feeling like a failure- she hadn’t caught the akuma, or even protected Cat Noir. What else could go wrong?

Tikki tried to comfort her, and Plagg even flew to the loft to try and help, but Marinette was too upset to listen. Then a raspy tongue began to lick the tears from her face; she looked up to see the glint of green eyes gazing back at her.

She moved her hand to where she thought Hero’s head might be, and scratched his ears. His rumbling purr began, reminding her of Cat Noir and causing the tears again. Marinette reached out to Hero; he rubbed his face against hers, settled in against her chest and purred loud enough to almost drown out the thunder. She finally fell asleep to the sound of it.

************

_ Curled up against his lady, trying to give her comfort the only way he could, the cat called Hero contemplated his situation. It wasn’t a pretty picture. _

_ There was a time- not that long ago- when he was human. No; human- and superhuman. _

_ His name was Adrien Agreste. He was also Cat Noir. And now- now, he was an actual cat. _

_ How that had happened was burned into his memory. Getting struck by Bestiary, flying into that alley and hitting the trash cans. His Miraculous dropping off his finger (that thing really was too loose at the worst times). The bolt of energy that felt like it was melting him into a ball; it had hurt so much, he couldn’t even scream. _

_ He had crawled between the cans before he realized his change. Not that he had long to think about it before the fight came into the alley. _

_ And Ladybug was losing. She was pinned down, and she would be changed just like him- _

_ No! Not if he could stop it! _

_ Looking back, jumping an akumatized villain as a cat wasn’t the brightest thing he’d ever done. If a sprained paw was the worst of it, he’d have thought himself lucky. That toss into the wall could have killed him. _

_ But then the storm began- and a wet cat is one of the sorriest, most miserable creatures on earth. He’d moaned- well, meowed- in despair, hoping to find a place a little drier where he could lick his wounds and try to tell someone what had happened to him. Even though he didn’t have any idea how to do that. _

_ Ladybug had heard him, though, and coaxed him out. Really, he hadn’t wanted to go with her; he was embarrassed at being changed into a cat, but what choice did he have? It wasn’t like there were a lot of options in that alley, and his paw did hurt a lot. She’d take care of him, and maybe he could find a way to tell her what had happened. _

_ He’d forgotten she would have to detransform. He’d always wanted to know who she was, but- she hadn’t wanted to tell him, and he’d respected that. Maybe this was a bad idea, but it was too late. Marinette had taken charge of him. _

_ The vet visit was, perhaps, his punishment for going with Ladybug in the first place. If cats could blush, he’d have been as red as a beet. The worst was the neutering suggestion- his mind shied away from even thinking about it too hard. Marinette hadn’t wanted to consider it either, which was a relief. _

_ Marinette did set things up nicely for a cat in her room, though. If only he really was one. At least cat food wasn’t totally disgusting- in fact, his cat body thought it a bit bland, but acceptable. And the cat bed was comfortable enough. And the litterbox worked- although he didn’t contemplate the mechanics of that for long. _

_ He had tried to be a gentleman, pretending to sleep while Marinette got ready for bed. But the sound of her quietly sobbing was too much for him to ignore. He climbed the loft stairs- carefully-, jumped up on the bed, and did what he could to comfort her until she fell asleep, hand draped over his back. _

_ What was he going to do tomorrow, though? The cat called Hero ( _ my name is Adrien. Adrien!) _ was horribly afraid he would remain a cat. Ladybug could restore him if she defeated the akuma, but- how could she do that alone? _

_ And how long would it take? Would he forget how to be a human? Or a superhero? That was the fear keeping him awake now. _

_ Tomorrow he would have to figure out a way to let Marinette-Ladybug- know who he really was. There had to be a way- somehow. _

__

***************

Marinette woke to her alarm the next morning; there was no sun, although the rain had lessened a bit. Hero was no longer on her bed, but there was a warm spot where he had been.

Getting up, Marinette descended from the loft and found Hero sitting on her desk, staring at her tablet. Weirdly enough, it was active and showed a text screen with keyboard down below. Hero seemed fascinated by the letters that appeared whenever he tapped the screen with a paw.

“What are you doing, Hero?” Marinette asked sleepily. She reached over and turned the tablet off, then picked up the cat and set him on the floor. He gave her a disappointed look. “Don’t give me that; that’s for homework.”

Hero responded with a low “Mrow”, then slunk over to his kitty bed and curled up with his back to the room.

Well, if the cat wanted to sulk about losing his new toy, that was fine. Marinette got dressed, made sure Hero took his medicine (he wasn’t as cooperative as she would’ve liked, but he took it) and that he had food and water, then glanced at the clock. She was going to be late for school if she waited much longer! She grabbed her tablet and took the cat miraculous out of her purse, placing it in her vanity drawer inside a jewelry box. “Come on, Tikki. Plagg, will you stay and keep Hero company? I’ll take you to Master Fu as soon as school is over.” She headed down the stairs, making sure the door was shut so Hero couldn’t go wandering.

Marinette was not really looking forward to the day- she still had an akuma to defeat. Her only hope was that Bestiary hated the rain as much as Hero did. At least with it being as heavy a downpour as it was, no one would be out in it if they had any other choice, which meant fewer targets if Bestiary did come out.

She found a few minutes before class to call Master Fu and tell him what had happened. He was worried about Cat Noir too, and advised Marinette to come see him with the cat miraculous as soon as she could after school.

Marinette slid into her desk with a minute or two to spare. Alya was there, and Nino- but the seat beside Nino was empty.

“Hey Nino-where’s Adrien?” Marinette asked.

“Don’t know- he hasn’t answered my texts. Maybe he’s sick,” Nino answered.

Marinette wondered- it wasn’t like Adrien to miss a day of school without telling someone what had happened. She resolved to at least take good notes so that he could catch up.

Marinette pulled out her tablet to do just that. Turning it on, she saw the text screen, which read “je m’appelk”. Strange…it wasn’t something she remembered typing. She cleared it and began to take notes.

*******************

_ Curled up on his kitty bed, Adrien/Hero sighed, black-and-white chest heaving. He’d missed his opportunity to tell Marinette who he was and what had happened. _

_ He’d gotten up about a half-hour before Marinette’s alarm went off, having had the idea to use her school tablet to type a message. What he hadn’t anticipated was how difficult it was for a cat to use things designed for a human. Turning the tablet on and opening the typing screen was the work of a solid fifteen minutes all by itself. Then he learned how unsuited paws were for accuracy in texting. He’d had to use the backspace so many times, it was a wonder he’d gotten as far as he had. _

_ But Marinette hadn’t even looked at what he’d written. She’d just turned off the tablet and shooed him away. Adrien knew that she could only see him as Hero the cat right now, but all that effort gone to waste- he hadn’t had the heart to do anything else that morning. The tip of his tail twitched up and down rhythmically as he racked his brain for another idea. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our poor heroes. What will happen next?
> 
> And is the akuma still around?
> 
> Real life news: my industry is considered 'essential', so I am still working right now. Not like usual- operating methods have changed, but we're still open for business. Please support those businesses while staying safe!
> 
> Thanks for the comments and kudos! I appreciate the support!


	3. Could it Be?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can a little kitty help?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.

As the day wore on, though, the odd phrase on the tablet tickled at the back of her mind. Marinette was the only person who had access to her tablet, and she was certain she hadn’t put that on the screen.

Then it hit- like a lightning bolt. No  person had had access to her tablet- but a certain curious kitty…

No, that was ridiculous. A cat couldn’t type. It must have been random letters.

Except- they didn’t look random. If she didn’t know better, the cat had been trying to write “my name is” in French on the tablet.

_ Okay. Suppose that  _ _ was _ _ what Hero was trying to do. Why? _ Marinette ran through everything she remembered about the night before- Cat Noir disappearing, Hero attacking the akuma.

Could it be- that Hero was- Marinette went hot, then cold, by turns.

“Girl, what’s wrong?” Alya was looking at Marinette with concern. “You okay?”

Marinette turned to her best friend. “I have to go home. I- left something on; I need to go turn it off, quick!”

Alya rolled her eyes. “Just call your folks, they’ll take care of it.”

“N-no, I-“

A scream echoed from the courtyard, and the classroom door flew open. Bestiary was here, in the school! Marinette dropped beneath her desk and pulled Alya down beside her. Looking around, she saw Alix- well, her feet, anyway- get hit with a flash of light.

Marinette heard Mylene cry, “Alix! Where are you?” But Marinette could see- a small black rabbit with reddish ears under Alix’s side of the desk. The rabbit looked around itself wildly, then ran towards the front of the room.

Chaos erupted in the classroom, with some of the boys trying to distract the villain. Marinette was grateful for the confusion; it allowed her to slip out of the classroom and run to the restroom to transform.

*********************

_ “You are the most boring cat I’ve ever seen,” said Plagg. He floated lazily past Adrien’s nose; Adrien had the sudden urge to swat the flying kwami, and throttled it down. “Why so depressed? You’ve got food, shelter- this has got to be better than being an alley cat.” _

_ “Sure- except I’m not one,” Adrien tried to say. It came out as a mix of soft hisses and growls. _

_ “So what kind of cat ARE you?” asked the little black kwami, green eyes curious. _

_ “I’m not a cat at all,” Adrien mumbled-meowed. Why was he even pretending that Plagg understood? Except that responding to Plagg’s questions felt like the most human thing he’d done all day. Adrien was desperate to talk to someone- anyone- even if they only sounded like they understood. _

_ “Well, you could’ve fooled me,” Plagg replied. “You sure look like one.” He hovered just outside the box. “Next you’re probably going to tell me you’re really a human in cat disguise.” _

_ “Ha-ha.” Adrien growled; then he did a double take. He shot straight up onto his good front paw, hitting the top of the box with his head. “Wait- you understand me?” _

_ “Of course I do. I’d be a pretty poor cat kwami if I didn’t speak Cat fluently.” Plagg did a midair flip. “Of course, most cats don’t have much to say. You’re quite the conversationalist.” _

_ “Plagg, it’s me- Adrien!” Adrien couldn’t believe his luck- if Plagg understood, this would solve everything! _

_ “Sorry, that last didn’t translate. All I got was ‘it’s me,’” Plagg settled into a hover, looking Adrien dead in the eyes. Adrien narrowed his, frustrated. _

_ “How about ‘Cat Noir?’ Does that make sense?” Adrien growled, a little louder than he meant to. _

_ Plagg’s eyes widened. “Adrien?” he asked softly. _

_ Adrien’s whiskers trembled with excitement. “Yes!” He ran out of the box, ignoring the twinge in his paw, and heading for Marinette’s vanity. He made a running leap and landed on the top, shaking it a little in the process. _

_ “What are you doing?” Plagg flew over to the vanity as Adrien began to paw at the drawer from above, trying to hook the knob and open it. _

_ “If you can understand me- then maybe- I can still transform- and help Ladybug.” Adrien managed to slide the drawer out little by little, until he could see the jewelry box where Marinette had put the cat miraculous. He swiped at the box until he got a paw under it and knocked it over the edge of the drawer and onto the floor. It burst open, and the ring rolled a short way before settling. _

_ As Adrien jumped to the floor, Plagg asked, “How are you going to do that? First of all, what good is a cat going to do? And second, how can a cat wear a ring? It’s not like you have fingers.” _

_ “I don’t know what I can do, but I have to try.” Adrien pondered the second question as he stared at the ring, tail twitching around his feet as he sat. “Besides, I didn’t even use Cataclysm on that creature, and I still made him run. If that’s all I can do, then I did something instead of letting Ladybug get hurt.” He found himself mesmerized by the tip of his tail- up, down, up, down… _

_ What if he COULD wear the ring? Adrien pawed at the miraculous, turning it on its side. It was an exercise in patience to rival his typing attempt, trying to get the ring over the tip of his tail and snugged down as far as it would go- about halfway, with the white fur bushing around it on either side. He lashed his tail, trying to see if it would slide off- the last thing he wanted was a repeat of what happened in the alley. It seemed secure enough. _

_ Plagg looked apprehensive. “Are you sure about this?” _

_ “No. Plagg, claws out!” _

_ As Plagg spiraled into the ring, Adrien felt the familiar rush of energies racing over and through him. It didn’t feel that different to him as a cat than it did as a human- the feeling of increased strength, the sharpening of the senses, the change in his appearance- _

_ As the initial energy faded, he looked at himself. “Now THIS is more like it!” he growled. His cat-voice had gotten deeper. _

_ He heard someone coming up the stairs to Marinette’s room. Cat Noir didn’t hesitate- he ran up to Marinette’s loft bed and jumped up, knocking the trap door open and landing on the balcony. He closed the trap door with a paw; although it was misting more than raining right now, he didn’t want Marinette’s bed to get soaked. _

_ Cat Noir’s enhanced (even for a cat) hearing picked up screams- and other animal noises- across the street. He leaped for the roof of the school, not knowing what he would find, but sure that Marinette- Ladybug- would be in the middle of it. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of a short chapter, but I had to save something for later.
> 
> Hope everyone is coping with the current situation. I know my life isn't much different because of what I do, but many people are much more affected. Stay safe!
> 
> If you like, please say so! If you don't, please say why (nicely)! Love to hear from you!


	4. Showdown at the Corral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and 'Kitty'? face the akuma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.

Ladybug skidded out of the locker room, to see Bestiary in the middle of the courtyard. A few animals wandered the edge of the area, looking scared.

She spun her yoyo to deflect any shot directed at her- if she was right about what had happened to Cat Noir, the last thing she wanted to be was an insect. As she searched for an opening to engage, Bestiary roared and lunged toward her; Ladybug dodged around him and threw her yoyo around the staff.

But Bestiary’s grip was too strong. He held on, and she saw the tip glow-

And a large black-  _ what  _ _ is _ _ that? _ Ladybug thought- dropped onto Bestiary’s shoulders with a loud hiss. Bestiary swung his staff, and grabbed for the creature, which had already leaped straight up to avoid the grip. It landed behind the akuma, lashing its tail.

Ladybug stared in disbelief. “H-Hero?” she whispered. “Cat Noir?”

If it  was Hero, he was black now, from nose to tail. And he was bigger- more of a match for a baby tiger for size. He also wore a black suit which covered him from his neck to the base of his tail, like a cat onesie; the suit echoed the texture of Cat Noir’s normal uniform, and had a tiny chiming bell hanging on the collar. His legs and tail were bare of everything but black fur, except for the black ring.

The thought crossed Ladybug’s mind to wonder where Hero’s- Cat Noir’s?- staff was, but she forgot about it when the black cat bared his fangs at Bestiary. Between those and the gleaming claws glinting on the raised paw, this cat didn’t need another weapon. She pulled her yoyo back as Bestiary swiped at Hero Noir ( _ okay, that works _ ,) with a hand just as full of claws.

Hero Noir dodged the arm and growled. Suddenly one of the animals on the sidelines, a familiar black and red rabbit, leaped for the staff arm and delivered a swift kick to the wrist as a small bull ox hit the villain from behind, shouldering him aside. The staff dropped to the ground, where the bull broke it in a single step.

Ladybug had expected the staff to hide the akuma butterfly, but it didn’t. That meant no one else could be changed, but they still had to find it!

About the only thing she could think of at this point was something that looked vaguely like a purple dog collar wrapped around Bestiary’s left knee. It was holding the loose pant leg in, and there wasn’t another on the other side, when everything else on the villain was symmetrical. A tiny black carved figure dangled from the leather.

She threw her yoyo upward. “Lucky Charm!”

A ball of thin rope dropped into her hand. “What in the world is this for?” she mumbled to herself. She looked around for any hint.

A small animal- a brown rat- riding on top of the bull ox suggested a possibility. While Hero Noir had the akuma engaged in a deadly-looking game of cat-and-mouse, Ladybug approached the ox.

“Excuse me, but you’re a person, aren’t you?” she addressed the rat. It gave her a look, and bobbed its head. “Can you help me? I need you to crawl up there and gnaw that collar free.”

The rat shook, obviously frightened, but bobbed its head again. Ladybug then turned to the rabbit, who was watching her alertly. “Alix, right? Can you run this,” she indicated the rope, “through his legs to tangle him up?” The rabbit bobbed its head too.

She gave the end of the rope to Alix-bunny, who bit down on it and took off at blinding speed, weaving in and out between Bestiary’s legs. Meanwhile, the rat darted in and up the pant leg, beginning to nibble at the collar.

Hero Noir saw what the other animals were up to, and did his best to distract Bestiary from what was going on. Just as the villain realized what was happening, Alix-bunny finished her run, and Ladybug yanked on the rope, toppling Bestiary to the floor.

Dropping the end of the rope to the floor and telling the ox to “Hold that,” Ladybug ran in and pulled the broken collar from around the knee. The rat darted for the safety of its ox friend, mission accomplished, as the ox laid a hoof on the rope.

Ladybug showed the collar to Hero Noir. “Destroy the charm!” she yelled as she threw it at him.

Hero Noir growled, and the tip of his tail began to glow with the same dark energies that Cat Noir had used so many times. He lashed his tail just as the collar reached him, touching the tip to the strange animal charm attached to it. As the charm shriveled into dust, a black and purple butterfly fluttered out.

Ladybug swung her open yoyo. “Time to de-evilize!”

When she purified the akuma, Bestiary shivered all over as the power left him. He turned out to be an ordinary young man in a veterinary coat emblazoned with the logo of the vet clinic where Marinette had taken Hero- was it just last night? Ladybug approached him as he sat sadly on the courtyard floor. Hero Noir came up beside her and regarded the man thoughtfully with his green eyes.

“I couldn’t go in to work yesterday,” he said to Ladybug. “Not when my dog had just died. I couldn’t handle seeing all those animals, knowing my dog was gone.” He shrugged. “I guess I’m selfish-“

“No,” Ladybug said. “You needed a little time. It’s hard losing someone you care for- whether it’s a person or an animal.” She smiled, a little sadly, as she reached out to give Hero Noir a scratch around the ears; he purred in response. “I thought I’d lost someone yesterday too. It hurts a lot.”

The young man smiled a little at Ladybug. “I know. I see it at the clinic all the time. I just didn’t expect it to hit me so hard, but I’ll be okay.”

Ladybug’s earrings and Hero Noir’s ring each gave a warning beep. Knowing she had no time to waste, Ladybug gathered up the rope and flung it into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

The pink, red, and white ladybug energy shot around the courtyard; where the ox and rat had been, Ivan and Mylene stood on two legs again. And next to Ladybug, Hero Noir became Cat Noir again, sitting on his heels, black belt curled around his feet.

“Cat Noir?” Ladybug asked tentatively. “Are you okay?”

Cat Noir shook his head slightly, as if shaking off water, and stood up. He glanced over at Ladybug. “I’m fine, milady,” he said with a playful smirk.

Ladybug narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you remember anything that just happened?”

He pursed his lips, tapping a clawed finger on his chin. “I remember realizing I was a cat, but I guess cats don’t remember things the way people do. I only have a few clear memories,” he smiled again, ”She-Who-Smells-Like-Pastry.”

“Uh, right.” Ladybug would’ve liked to follow up on the new nickname- clearly Cat Noir remembered  something \- but it would have to wait as her earrings beeped again. “We’ll talk later, Cat Noir.” She unhooked her yoyo.

“Just one thing,” Cat Noir said, catching her arm. He leaned into her face, and whispered, “Never, ever take me to the vet again.”

Unnerved, she slung her yoyo to the roof and swung away; Cat Noir followed her to the roof, but headed a different direction. Ladybug still wasn’t sure how much he remembered from his time as a cat, and now she wasn’t sure she was brave enough to find out.

*********************

_ Cat Noir knew he couldn’t go to school today- Adrien had been absent from home overnight and was sure to have been missed. For sure he would have to come up with a reason for that. Perhaps a version of the truth- he HAD ‘disappeared’ from his bodyguard’s side when the akuma showed at the riverbank where he’d been doing a photo shoot. It wasn’t totally unbelievable that he’d have caught a bolt and spent the night as an animal. _

_ Not a cat, though. No need to raise suspicions. Maybe a hamster… _

_ He actually remembered quite a bit. He knew Ladybug’s civilian persona, although the thought that she had been seated behind him in class all this time was enough to make him reel. But he could be patient. She clearly wasn’t ready for the truth to come out. _

_ Cat Noir descended from the rooftops a couple of blocks from the house, and transformed back. Time for Adrien to go home and make explanations. He’d see what tomorrow would bring. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration for Hero Noir's look came from Dex-Starr (a Red Lantern from the DC comics). His initial attack- the shoulder drop- I remembered from a book about what Siamese cats were trained to do to defend their places.
> 
> And, that's it. I'm sure someone will want to see this go a little further, but my mind doesn't want to go there yet. 
> 
> Please comment! I like to hear what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this one some time ago, back before I started reading fanfiction as well as writing it. Something about it just made me want to keep working on it, but at this point I think it's as done as it'll get. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Please comment/ ramble below. Input is everything!


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